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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cue · degree · ruler · march · bat · cell · pass · lean

  1. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. degree — from a university
  4. march — the month
  5. cue — for pool
  6. lean — to bend
  7. degree — an amount
  8. cell — a phone
  9. pass — a permit
  10. lean — thin
  11. degree — temperature
  12. cue — a signal
  13. march — music
  14. cue — a hint
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. cell — in biology
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. march — the month
  23. bat — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com